In May 2008, a bride and groom were scammed out of thousands of dollars paid toward a fake wedding venue. The bride happened to be the travel editor for the Los Angeles Times who’d advised her readers on how not to get hoodwinked on the Internet. The editor, Catharine Hamm tells the story to NPR’s Melissa Block.
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AP - European stock markets rebounded Friday after Wall Street didn’t fall as much as feared on the news that Dubai is having trouble handling its debt.
Read more of Dubai debt fears stalk world markets (AP)…
AP - It won’t be just the balloons, marching bands and floats on display in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The laws of physics will also be on parade.
Read more of New Macy’s Parade route means no cutting corners (AP)…
The Yahoo! Newsroom - Ten members of the Republican National Committee are proposing a resolution demanding candidates embrace at least eight of 10 conservative principles if they hope to receive financial support and an official endorsement from the RNC. The “Proposed RNC Resolution on Reagan’s Unity Principle for Support of Candidates,” is designed to force candidates to prove that they support “conservative principles” while opposing “Obama’s socialist agenda,” according to The New York Times’ Caucus blog. The proposal highlights the ongoing tug-of-war for the ideological soul of the Republ
Read more of Republicans considering ideological purity test for candidates (The Yahoo! Newsroom)…
AP - Celebrity chef Paula Deen got an unexpected serving of ham — across her face. The Food Network star was helping unload 25,000 pounds of donated meat for an Atlanta food bank on Monday when someone threw one of the hams like a football and accidentally smacked her.
Read more of Chef Paula Deen accidentally hit by charity ham (AP)…
While the White House is mum about who will be among the 300 or so lucky invitees to President Obama’s first state dinner Tuesday night, word is already leaking out about who’s not going to be there. Chief among the non-attendees: top Republican lawmakers. House Minority Leader John A. Boehner was invited but won’t be there; he’s on Thanksgiving break and home in Ohio. His deputy, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, didn’t get an invitation to the dinner. The president didn’t invite his 2008 rival, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, even though Mr. Obama the candidate pledged a post-partisan presidency. .
Read more of Top Republican lawmakers not attending State Dinner…
AP - All the single ladies — Shakira is looking out for you!
Read more of Q&A: Shakira says new CD looks out for single gals (AP)…
AP - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo placed two southern provinces under a state of emergency Tuesday, giving security forces free hands to pursue gunmen who killed at least 24 people in one of the country’s worst election massacres.
Read more of Philippines declares emergency after 24 killed (AP)…
A former British policeman is using his Scotland Yard training to help the Birthers a group of conspiracy theorists in trying to unseat President Barack Obama.
Read more of Former British policeman backs Barack Obama ‘birthers’ conspiracy theory…
Legendary band Black 47's New York City shows, which have been going on for the past 20 years, have been described as "a rite of passage for all New Yorkers."
Read more of Legendary NYC Irish band Black 47 celebrates 20 years (IrishCentral)…
I don't know if I would be able to stand being in a small cell and living there my whole life. I would hate it. I don't actually know if that is what jail is like. All I know is what jail looks like it is in all of the movies. It's funny that I base so many of my opinions of things on how they look in movies.
I would hate to think of anyone living like that. It is fair for someone who is a criminal. There are a lot of innocent people in jail though. That is when it becomes hard to decide how a jail cell should really be. I would hate to have to be in jail though. I don't want to know what it's really like.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/18762235@N00/
Scott Hamilton is an Olympic gold medalist and cancer survivor. After a 5 year break from skating after battling a brain tumor and testicular cancer, Scott Hamilton is back on the ice.
I remember watching Scott Hamilton back in the 1984 Olympics where he won the gold medal. Not only was he graceful and strong and just a great athlete, he has a smile that warms a room. It is obvious that Scott Hamilton is a good person, not caught up in all the hype and glory of being famous. Maybe it has something to do with the way he was raised.
Scott was born in Toledo, Ohio and was adopted by his parents. At 2 years of age, Scott became sick with an illness that the doctors couldn't understand but that made him stop growing. He was misdiagnosed with many different things, including telling his parents he had just 6 months to live and another diagnosis of cystic fibrosis.
It is now said he had Shwachman-Diamond syndrome but he still only grew to the grand total he is now of 5 feet, 2 ½ inches. When he was 13, he began training in skating with a former Olympic champion but his parents struggles with the high cost of his training and almost made him quit.
A couple stepped in at that point and could see the future of this bright young skater and paid for his training. Scott Hamilton is very medaled, including taking 3rd in the 1980 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. He came in 5th at the 1980 Winter Olympics. In the 1981 U.S. Championships, he performed a perfect program and never again lost a competition.
Hamilton won the 1981, 1982 and 1983 golds in the World Figure Skating Championships. Then came the 1984 Winter Olympics where he won the gold medal. He won the 1984 World Championships then became a pro, that same year. Hamilton founded Stars on Ice with the Ice Capades and toured with them for 15 years, retiring in 2001.
In 1990, Hamilton was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. My family has seen Scott Hamilton in the show The Fairly OddParents when they had an Olympic special. Scott Hamilton has had success after success in his life.
Then in 1997, he got testicular cancer. He made a recovery and has been featured on TV shows and magazines for his great recovery and attitude. Then in 2004, Scott Hamilton was diagnosed with and treated for a brain tumor. Scott Hamilton is ranked as one of the top 8 most popular Athletes in the U.S. Scott is married and has 2 sons. We're glad to have Scott back skating for us.
Black Friday is almost here! The most exciting day of the year! My nieces and nephews are so hard to shop for. They want little bake ovens and little cars and make up.
I would have to go look all over the country to find everything they want but instead of going across the country I decided to go look for ads. Who knows, it could be fun? I saw shoe stores, food stores, and clothes stores but then I finally came across Target black Friday ads 2009.
They have food, clothes make up and toys. It was a relief to see a lot of the things I needed. But after I was done looking through the ads I decided to go play with them. I heard them having a blast in the other room and I just had to jump in on the fun. They were running through the house, laughing and playing and getting in the mood for holidays when it came to my attention that Christmas shouldn't be all about gifts.
It should be about family and being together and sharing the happiness with one another. So even though I could have gotten gifts, I figured the greatest gift is to be one big happy family.
Free Press staff writer Kathleen Gray live-blogs from suburban Grand Rapids where Sarah Palin is kicking off her “Going Rogue” book-signing tour
Read more of Sarah Palin kicks off her "Going Rogue" book signing tour…
WASHINGTON – From opposite ends of the globe, President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder firmly rejected criticism Wednesday of the planned New York trial of the professed Sept. 11 mastermind and predicted Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would be exposed as a murderous coward, convicted and e…
Read more of Obama, Holder predict conviction in 9/11 case…
Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRK) recent announcement that it was buying railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI) also included a provision for a 50-to-1 stock split of B shares so that smaller shareholders of BNI would be able to be converted to Berkshire shares and avoid capital gains. Warren Buffett has been trying to avoid this for years, so after some random web surfing — I mean… research, I figured I’d share my findings.
At the end of trading yesterday 11/18, Berkshire’s A shares currently cost $103,100 apiece and B shares were $3,430. After a 50-to-1 split, a B share would cost about $69 a year. Several news articles are talking about how this brings the share price down to the “common man”. For a $69 investment, you should able to attend the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting in Omaha this May, although you could also buy tickets for $5 on eBay directly from BRK.
But wait, you may already own a piece of Berkshire… or you may soon.
S&P 500
Right now, Berkshire Hathaway is not part of the S&P 500. Many folks (including me in the past) thought the S&P 500 was simply the largest 500 companies in the US, but not quite. I’ve read that BRK is likely excluded due to inadequate trading volume of their high-priced shares. If the stock split occurs, it is possible that BRK will become part of the S&P 500 and thus be bought by every S&P 500 index fund out there. I’m sure Wall Street traders have already begun the speculating.
As of 1/18, the market cap of BRK was roughly $160 Billion. Looking at this chart of S&P 500 components sorted by size, BRK would actually be #9 on that list, as it is worth more than even Chevron or AT&T. If included, BRK would constitute about 1.65% of the index.
Total Stock Market
However, you may already own a piece of Berkshire if you own part of a mutual fund that tracks an index following the “total” US stock market. For example there’s the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSMX), which is held within all of the Vanguard Target Retirement Funds. By my rough calculations, BRK is approximately 1.3% of the broad US market. So for every $10,000 of VTSMX or VTI you hold, you own $130 of BRK already.
Sharebuilder
Of course, for years now you could own $1 or $50 or $500 of BRKB by buying partial shares of BRKB through Sharebuilder ($25 bonus). You wouldn’t want to go too small as the $1 to $4 commission would take too big a bite, but it can be one way to gradually accumulate BRK shares. I think I have about $45 worth right now, myself, mainly due to an opening bonus.
Read more about Berkshire Hathaway Stock Split, S&P 500, & Index Funds…
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Five people have been sentenced to death and 81 have received jail terms of up to 15 years in connection with unrest after Iran ’s disputed election in June, state broadcaster IRIB reported on Tuesday.
Read more of Five sentenced to death over Iran vote unrest…
SANFORD, N.C. – For a week, authorities feverishly searched for a 5-year-old girl across central North Carolina , only to find her body Monday off a rural road following accusations the girl’s mother offered her for sex.
Read more of NC searchers find body of missing 5-year-old girl…
With each tick higher in the market, more and more investors are working up the courage to get back in. But that’s been hard for some who, burned by big losses and rattled by so many reports of financial scandal, still struggle with fundamental questions:
Read more about Research pays before you lay money down…
An analysis for the AARP found that prices on brand-name drugs rose 9 percent in the last year, an amount estimated to add about $10 billion to drug spending.
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One of the whackiest claims Sarah Palin makes in her new book is that she agreed to her disastrous interview with Katie Couric — a central event during Campaign 2008 — because a top McCain aide told her Couric had low self esteem, leading Palin to take pity on the CBS anchor.
A McCain adviser I just spoke to adamantly denied the claim, and provided a counter story: Palin was repeatedly urged by McCain aides to prepare for the interview, but refused.
Read more of Palin: I Did Katie Couric Interview Out Of Pity…
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Home prices are expected to grow modestly next year and sales will keep rising as the Obama administration continues policies whih inflated the market based on ACORN loans. History is repeating itself say most.
Read more of Realtors: home prices to rise 4 percent in 2010…
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Everyone is talking about Sammy Sosa. They just want to see Sammy Sosa face before and after the incident. This incident of course was when he applied some cream to his face that made it go lighter.
At first everyone noticed that his face was slowly getting lighter. He was looking a little more Caucasian than her should. There were questions about whether he was the next Michael Jackson or if he was trying to change his race. That of course wasn't the issue.
He came right out and admit to everyone that he had been using a skin cream that was meant to make his skin softer but instead it bleached his skin. I hope everyone is really enjoying looking at the pictures of him.
Maybe if he stops using the cream his face will return to its normal color. We will just have to wait and see if he keeps getting whiter of if he goes back to his normal skin color.
The rule responds to complaints from consumer groups, members of Congress and other regulators that the overdraft fees are unfair because many people assume they can’t spend more on a debit card than is available in their account.
Read more of Fed: banks need customer consent on overdraft fees…
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It can transport hundreds of people at a time and/or hundreds of things. In my own opinion airplanes are vary scary.
I have never been on one but I am always scared that if I would get on one that it would crash. I have heard that you are more likely to get into a car wreck then a plane wreck but the only difference is if you get into a plane wreck the likely hood of you living is very minimal.
Also if you do not mind the longer trip to get somewhere driving places has its advantages. You get a lot of places to can stop at and check out. You also get a different kind of scenery everywhere except just looking at the clouds or the sky the hole time. Also after hearing about plane hijackings and so forth I am scarred to death of getting on a plane.
In the end the plane ride is much faster and cheaper but scarier and not as fun.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shirokazan/
It is a little tiring sometimes. I love being out in the woods though. It is a very exciting thing for me. I really enjoy it. I like looking at all the bugs and observing them go about their daily business.
I think it is pretty awesome. It is even better when you are backpacking. It is almost like you live there. The whole world is yours to explore.
It is very exhausting but still very much fun to do in my free time. I like going out for a weekend with an IPod and a backpack and just walk around. I discover so much stuff. It is the best feeling ever.
The 2009 CMA Awards show was undoubtedly one of the most dramatic in years.
History was, literally, made.
The 19-year-old
Read more of The 2009 CMA Awards: History Is Made…
AP - Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has cleared the way for the execution of sniper John Allen Muhammad.
Read more of Va. gov clears way for execution of sniper (AP)…
China’s premier stressed Saturday that his country’s push to boost already burgeoning trade ties with Africa was “sincere and selfless,” as the Asian powerhouse battled criticism its quest for natural resources was at the expense of the poverty-ravaged continent.
Read more of Chinese premier: Africa trade push is ’selfless’ (AP)…
Once I had to take counseling with a group of coworkers because of an incident that occurred at work. Whenever the psychologist would ask us questions we would answer it. She would sit there for about ten minutes afterwards just waiting for more of a response than what we could give her.
I wish people would just accept that I tell it straight out the first time which means I don't need her to wait for ten minutes for me to give another response. I think that is how psychologists mess up the truth.
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But they are such a pain to peel. It takes so long, and it takes even longer if you insist on peeling off all the white stuff (I forget what it’s called).
I don’t really care if the white stuff is on there or not. Most people don’t like it, but I think it tastes just fine. It has got a lot of nutrients in it too. At least that’s what I hear.
I wonder if that’s just something my parents have made up to get us to eat it instead of taking forever to peel it all off.
It’s the day before Halloween, and on the set of Sesame Street, the usual trickery is underway.
Read more of At 40, ‘Sesame Street’ is in a constant state of renewal…
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
I was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. You know how you always have to say where you were born? I always have to spell Poughkeepsie. No one can spell Poughkeepsie. But I can.
People always comment on "how do you know how to spell Poughkeepsie?" Well, you know how to spell where you were born, right?
The Poughkeepsie Journal has been in the news because one of the writers for the Poughkeepsie Journal decided to visit 11 cities to record what was going in the elections in their counties as it was unfolding.
He took some amazing photos and posted them in the Poughkeepsie Journal. The other reason the Poughkeepsie Journal has been on the news is because one of the candidates said the Poughkeepsie Journal endorsed him but the Poughkeepsie Journal really never endorsed this candidate so the candidate is apologizing and removing the banners with the claim.
The funny thing is though, the election is done so it's a little late for apologies.
AP - The New York Yankees bolted from the dugout even before the last grounder was scooped up. After waiting nine years for championship No. 27, no one would dare hold them back.
Read more of Ecstasy in the Bronx! Yankees win title No. 27 (AP)…
Photos: commons.wikimedia.org
Whenever the phone rings, I always hope it is someone who I know well and not some random person because I don’t like to talk on the phone with people I don’t know very well.
It’s hard to talk on the phone, it really is. It takes so much effort, but it takes less effort when you know the person very well. This is because you don’t have any visual clues. Visual clues are very important to communication, and I use them a lot.
I guess that’s part of the reason I don’t like to talk on the phone–I can’t use body language. When you use a phone to communicate you rule out a lot of visual signals that are important to communication.
And when you chat online with someone, you rule out visual and verbal signals. Tone of voice and inflections are important and they can’t be easily transferred through a computer. That’s why face to face communication is so important to us humans. It is easier to communicate that way.
I would rather talk to you in person any day than chat with you on the phone. Phones are just horrible. But sometimes they are convenient, and that’s part of why they are horrible.
Nonetheless, I am grateful for them. They help me keep in touch with my friends who live far away. If it weren’t for telephones, I would probably just forget all about them. I would maybe send them a letter every couple years, but not anything more than that.
Photo: http://flickr.com/photos/24734142@N07/
I tend to highly enjoy dogs. They are definitely my favorite animal. No matter what I think about, it somehow chains back down to my dog, Skip. Skip is by far my best friend in the world.
I am always thinking about him. When I am eating, I think about how I eat with my dog by the couch. When I am lying in bed, I think about Skip lying right next to me. Most everything I do makes me think back down to my dog. I just can’t get over it. One minute I am thinking of one thing, and the next I am thinking of Skip.
Republican Bob McDonnell easily won the Virginia governor’s race tpday as independent voters who last year delivered the state to President Barack Obama shifted to the GOP, handing the party a convincing sweep of statewide offices.
Read more of GOP wins Va. gov race a year after Obama won state…
Another Halloween
has come and gone, and with it, a lot of creative costumes. There were lots of pirates, witches, and a large assortment of popular movie characters to name a few. A common theme for some of these costumes for the adult groups, were that the costumes were either scary, or sexy.
We asked in our latest poll which you preferred, Sexy, or Scary and most voted for Sexy.
Amazingly, most costumes can be made into something sexy, with few modifications. For instances, by making it shorter, tighter, or more revealing you can pull off that sexy look. You could also change up makeup and accessories to give that more alluring look.
Whatever your choice was, be it sexy or scary, Halloween is a great opportunity to have fun!
Don’t forget to vote in today’s poll (right)
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Read more of How You Voted: Halloween Costumes…
Schwab just sent me a press release announcing their new series of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that have low operating expense ratios and passively track indexes.
The most commonly-noted drawback of ETFs is that you must buy them like a stock and thus pay trade commissions. However, if you buy these within a Schwab brokerage account, there are no commissions charged. Here is a chart comparing the new Schwab ETFs and their corresponding competitor from Vanguard. The ETFs don’t necessarily track the exact same index, but they are pretty similar.
This is definitely worth a second look. A possible criticism is that Schwab may increase expenses and reinstate trading fees in the future, which may lead to tax hits if you wish to switch back to other ETFs. Meanwhile, Vanguard has a long track record of rock-bottom expense ratios. However, it may also be that increased competition in this area by others like Fidelity and E-Trade will prevent this from happening.
Read more about New Schwab ETFs: Indexed, Low Cost, & No Commission With Schwab Account…
The automaker said it had its first profitable quarter in North America in more than four years.
Read more of Ford Posts an Unexpected Profit of $997 Million…
